The Bicycle Shop

Category:	Bicycle Store
Address:	441 W College Ave, State College, PA 16801, USA
Phone:	+1 814-238-9422
Site:	thebicycleshopinc.com
Rating:	4.2
Working:	10AM–6PM 10AM–6PM 10AM–6PM 10AM–6PM 10AM–6PM 10AM–5PM 12–5PM

Location

Photos 50

Reviews 5

A Private User

Ive been to the Bicycle Shop a few times now, and Ive had three-star, four-star, and negative-star experiences (hence the two star rating). This place definitely has an awesome selection of bikes and gear, the mechanics (in my experience) are helpful and very capable, but as for general customer service, Id say there is much left to be desired. When I first went in (about a year ago) to purchase a bicycle, the girl who helped me was both helpful and friendly. When Ive taken my bicycle in for service, the mechanics Ive talked to have also been nice. The reviews on here that indicate that the employees (in general) are a little uppity are pretty well justified in that claim, as it appears that the employees are serious bike enthusiasts and take their jobs seriously (which is great, but at times comes off as a little condescending to a person like me, who seldom rides). At least youll know that you are being helped by very knowledgeable people. However, on my most recent visit, the guy who helped me (short, white hair, clearly at least a decade older than most of the other employees) decided to go out of his way to be a total jerk. I had some work done on my bike (full disclosure, the work was minimal and at no cost to me) and had come in to pick it up. I asked him a few questions and his retort was along the lines of Well, would you like me to come to your work and ask YOU questions?. I thought he was joking at first, but he wasnt. Since the work I had done was minimal and in line with a store policy, it didnt cost me anything (they offer adjustments on brakes and gears for up to a year after purchase), but he treated me like I was trying to take services for free that I was supposed to be paying for (i.e. he was treating me like a thief). Eventually he said theyd honor the agreement that I claimed was made when I purchased the bicycle (I found the documentation confirming their policy when I returned home). I also claimed that the girl who sold me the bicycle told me about that policy. She doesnt work here anymore, he claimed, but I saw her there when I dropped off my bicycle a few days ago, so unless she was fired yesterday, he was just, again, being a jerk. Eventually he decided to dismiss me, and another guy who was very nice helped me finish my transaction. All in all, virtually everyone and everything about this store is pretty cool (except that there is no parking), but the slightly condescending interactions Ive had with various employees and the flat-out jerk who continued to lob verbal grenades at me without provocation in my most recent visit have prompted this decidedly negative review.

A Private User

I live in the neighborhood and stop in from time to time because it is on my route home. I have to say that overall I have not been impressed. They told me my fork was bent, when it wasnt. Once I was having trouble with slipping gears, and they charged me for a derailleur adjustment rather than fixing the real problem, which was a stiff chain link that eventually wore the teeth on my sprocket. They never seem to be able to find small or unusual parts that they claim to have. One guy tried to tell me that I do not know the tire size on my own bike, 26 x 1 3/8, which is standard for most of the vintage 3 speeds I have seen. Then he tried to sell me a 27" road tire, complaining that it wouldnt be convenient if I brought back the 26" tires, and asserting that I should just listen to him because he is never wrong. But he was very wrong. If youre buying a new bicycle, I would pick The Bicycle Shop over Wal-Mart any day. They do have a wide and varied stock of new bikes. Most of the staff is friendly and helpful, even if the shops raison dêtre really is just assembling and accessorizing brand new mountain, road, and hybrid bikes for entry level cyclists. And if you need to quickly pick up standards like oil, tubes, new accessories, theyll have it. But for anything complex or unusual, try Freeze Thaw.

Catharine Wahl

Polite, understanding staff and great prices. I use my bike to get to school and back (not for racing, exercise, etc.). Simply put, I dont treat it nearly as well as I should, as Im only traveling about four miles a day. Staff members at other bike shops around town were rude and seemed offended that I wasnt regularly deconstructing and cleaning my bike, even though I explained that Im not a serious bike rider. At the Bicycle Shop, the staff was nothing but nice. They werent trying to pad the sale with unnecessary, expensive items. When I apologized for the state of my bike, they laughed and assured me that it was really no problem. They charged me a total $15 to replace a flat tire, including the tire tread, tube, and labor. The guy that did the labor explained what caused the flat and did some maintenance (greasing the chain, fixing the shocks on the seat, etc.) for free. This place is great, for people serious about bike riding and for people like me who frankly arent. This place has my business for the foreseeable future.

Gogg Sand

Too be fair, the mechanic, Sparky, is really good. However, the customer service is really poor. They are argumentative, defensive, and talk over you. The reviews have passed off their uppity, condescending attitudes to being enthusiasts. I don’t buy it. I’m super enthusiastic about my bike and I’m not rude to someone who doesn’t know as much about it. Or, just universally, I’m not rude to someone who asks me for my help!! Donja, had absolutely no clue what she was doing. She never answered a question directly she talked around my questions acting like she knew what she was talking about. Jim, the service manager, was rude and made fun of my purchase choice (because he didn’t have what I wanted in stock so he told me it was “horrible and didn’t know why anyone would buy it anyway”). I race Ironman. I spend thousands on my bike, thousands on my wheels, thousands on my components, you get the picture. I say that to say this… I will NEVER go back to them. Which sucks cause Sparky is a fantastic wrench.

A Private User

I bought 2 bikes less than a year ago, and so far I have had the following problems with their maintenance department: 1) Shifter on bike #2 was defective; couldnt shift into gears 1-3. 2) Front derailler on bike #2 was poorly adjusted. Went back 3 times only to have them say "you must be riding it wrong" 3) After its 30-day tune-up, bike #2 left with a brake rubbing 4) Broke a spoke on bike #1 (not their fault; they fixed it under warranty), and 24 hours later, the tire went flat because of improper installation. Not only is their maintenance department shoddy, whenever you have a problem, they try to blame you. The FD issue on bike #2 was "you dont know how to ride this bike" and the spoke/flat issue on bike #1 was "the route you take is too rough" (even though the route is all paved). Finally, their prices on everything from bikes to brakes is overpriced. There are better shops in town with better prices and better service. Dont go here!